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1300
13th Century China
This was the first case to ever be recorded using forensic science. When someone got stabbed, all knives in the village were collected. Flies were attracted to the blood and only landed on one of the knifes, which made the subject confess. -
Mathieu Orfila
He is considered the "Father of Forensic Toxicology" because he was a chemist who published first scientific paper on the detection of poisons and their effects on animals. -
William Herschel
Used thumbprints on documents to identify workers in India -
Alphonse Bertillon
"Father of Criminal Identification." Developed Antropometry which uses body measurement to distinguish individuals. -
Henry Flauds
Used fingerprints to eliminate a innocent burglary suspect. -
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Published his first Sherlock Holmes story. Considered the first "CSI," featured in four novels and 56 short stories, popularized scientific crime-detection methods. -
Francis Galton
Published "Finger Prints." Conducted the first definitive study of fingerprints and their classification. Gave proof of their uniqueness. -
Hans Gross
Published "Criminal Investigation." Wrote the first paper describing the application of scientific principles to the field of criminal investigation. -
Karl Landsteiner
Discovered the ABO blood groups, later received Nobel Prize. -
Edmond Locard
Incorporated Gross' principles within a workable crime lab. Became the founder and director of the Institute of Criminalistics at the University of Lyons, France. -
Albert S. Osborn
Published "Questioned Documents." Developed the fundamental principles of document examination. -
Leone Lattes
Developed a method for determining blood type from dried blood. -
August Vollmer
Established the First Crime Lab in the United States, located in Los Angeles. -
Calvin Goddard
Developed a comparison microscope; first used to compare bullets to see if fired from the same weapon.
